Races
The following races are allowed in Thyressa: *Humans *Elves *Dwarves *Gnomes *Orcs *Aasimar *Tieflings *Sylphs *Oriads *Undines *Ifrits *Hybrids Halflings do not exist in Thyressa. In Thyressa, races do not gain racial attribute bonuses or penalties. Instead, each character gains +2 to one physical attribute and +2 to one mental attribute. The player chooses which attributes. The races in Thyressa do not use the core racial features or fluff. They use the following. All bonuses are racial. Humans Humans are the most varied of all races, as well as they most common. They can be found living any kind of lifestyle in any area, they take on all careers, and they are the dominant race in most governments. Generalizing about humans is highly difficult, as they vary far too much for sweeping statements to bear any truth. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed Bonus Feat +1 Skill point per level +1 to all saving throws Elves Elves are a race on the rise. Historically, elves have mostly been a primitive tribal people who lived on the fringes of the civilizations of other races, deep in the wilderness, or as nomads, depending on the tribe in question. They have always been skilled in the use of arcane magic, but until around eighty years ago, when the discovery of new spellcasting methods finally made casting spells quickly practical, this didn't mean much. Elves were mostly seen as barbarians with a penchant for witchcraft. Due to this penchant for witchcraft elves have historically had a lot of trouble with other races, which occasionally resulted in violence. Now that arcane magic is practical, however, they are quickly gaining in power and influence. A great many have left the backwoods and the wilderness they have so long called home for the cities of other races, where they hope they can write the next chapter of elven history with their newfound arcane might, while a large number of others choose to take modern civilization and technology and incorporate it into their wilderness lifestyle. Sill others vehemently oppose all modernization and cling desperately to the old ways. They produce more sorcerers than anyone else, as well as a great many witches, and also have a fair number of bards, alchemists, maguses, and wizards. Elves have historically been more accepting of witches than other races, and elven communities are the only ones in which a witch would dare be open about it, but witches would still often become scapegoats when something bad happened. Berserkers and rangers are the most common types of elven warrior, and druids are by far the most common divine spellcaster, taking up the traditional role of a cleric alongside their role as protectors of nature. Clerics are very rare, oracles slightly less so. Elven witch hunts did occur in the past, although they were less common that witch hunts by other races. These witch hunts were most often led by druids do to the lack of clerics and oracles. Their ears are, on average, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and mobile, showing emotion like a cat's. They have a very wide range of possible hair, eye, and skin colors (Many more than any other race. If you can think of a color, there is probably an elf that has it as a skin, hair, or eye color somewhere.), and stripes and spots are naturally occurring features (though not every elf has them). The average height of elves is about 2 or 3 inches less than that of humans, and they are usually slightly slimmer. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed +2 racial bonus to saving throws against disease, injested poison, and becoming nauseated or sickened +10 ft racial bonus to speed when using charge, run, or withdraw actions. +2 to Perception checks. Low Light Vision. Bonus Feat Dwarves Dwarves are some of the best builders ever seen. They are expert miners and smiths, and tend to live near their mines and forges in burrows and above ground houses. They usually live in their own communities or with humans, and are most often found in the mountains. Dwarves are renowned as expert engineers and architects, and make very high quality magic items. They are especially known for the durability of the things they build. They may not be quite as inventive as other races, but what they build lasts. Tradition, honor, and respectability, or at least the appearance of it, is incredibly important in dwarven society. Dwarves place a high value on people with such attributes, and as a result a great many dwarves, especially those in positions of power, try to appear as traditional, honorable, and respectable as possible. However, a great many dwarves are not who they appear to be. Though they put much effort into appearing to be a universally honorable, traditional, and trustworthy people, they can be as corrupt and selfish as anyone else. Assassination, sabotage, spying, embezzlement, and much more are all part of dwarven politics. They just hide such activity very, very well. In some communities, corruption is even expected as the normal course of things. That's not to say all dwarves are two faced hypocrites or that no dwarves are honorable and respectable people. There are plenty of honerable, respectable, and honest dwarves. There just happen to be just as many dishonest ones. Dwarves produce a lot of well trained warriors, so fighters and berserker battle ragers are common among them. Rogues are also highly common, especially as spies, saboteurs, and assassins in service to corrupt nobles. Inquisitors are common due to the shocking level of corruption in some dwarven communities. Dwarves love rowdy fun, so bards are always welcome among them. Being a traditional people, dwarves produce a fair number of clerics, who are renowned for their skill in battle. Many dwarves have taken up the study of wizardry recently, seeking to use it to improve their constructions. Dwarves are, on average, about 5 to 6 inches shorter than an average human and slightly more stocky. They tend to have tan skin, and their hair and eyes are usually earthy colors. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed +4 bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves against fatigue, exaustion, and other effects from running, forced marches, thirst, starvation, or hot or cold environments. Darkvision 60 ft Moves at normal speed in difficult terrain that is primarily stone. Can hold breath for 4 rounds times Constitution score before suffocating or drowning. Bonus Feat Gnomes Gnomes possess a deep thirst for knowledge that is surpassed by few. They love science and technology of all sorts, and are eager experimenters and inventors. They can most often be found in human or dwarven communities, and they usually work as scholars, teachers, scientists, engineers, architects, rangers, or in some other profession that allows them to learn, build, experiment, or explore. They are highly prone to wanderlust, and commonly adopt professions that allow them to indulge this wanderlust. Gnomes possess surprisingly little culture of their own. Apart from their curiosity, they mostly act like either humans or dwarves. They produce a very large number of engineering types, wizards, alchemists, and bards. Though they were as active as most other races in the witch hunts of the past, they are eager converts to arcane magic in the present. They also produce a lot of druids and rangers do to their love of exploration and wandering. Gnomes very commonly take on classes or archetypes with very specialized roles. Gnomes are the shortest race. On average they are about 7 to 8 inches shorter than a human, and slightly slimmer. They have about the same range of skin colors as a human, though bright hair and eye colors are somewhat common. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed +2 Saving throws against fear and illusions +2 bonus to two Knowledge skills Low Light Vision Treated as small size for the purpose of feat and prestige class prerequisites and mounts. Bonus Feat Orcs Orcs are a very old fashioned race. To most of them, family and community are more important than anything else. They prefer to live in their communities, and these communities are almost always rural. Although most (though certainly not all) are reasonably tolerant of outsiders, they are usually more comfortable with their own kind, and can be slow to make friends with non-orcs. Orcs are usually very religious, and produce the most divine spellcasters of any race, including the largest number of oracles. They are also thought of as being very good warriors. Orcs are ferocious in battle, and commonly take on the role of berserker or fighter. They are also a mostly rural race, so rangers and druids are seen all the time. Their religiousness spawns many clerics, oracle, and inquisitors. They have a fair number of witches, which is ironic when one considers their love of divine magic and activeness in the witch hunts of the past. Orcs resemble humans who are a bit taller than average, with skin that has a greenish, greyish, tannish, or brownish tint, a slightly stockier build, dark hair and eyes, and slightly larger, arrow shaped ears. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed Bonus to saving throws against poison equal to hit dice. When an Orc is below 0 hit points but not dead, it may continue to act. If it does so, it is staggered and loses 1 hit point per round. An Orc still dies when it reaches negative hit points equal to it's constitution score. Low Light Vision Bonus Feat Hybrids Hybrids are the offspring of unions of any of the other core races, or of other hybrids. Since their racial makeup varies wildly with the individual, it is impossible to generalize about their lifestyle or appearance. Their cultural behavior and outlook on life is largely determined by which parent raised them, and how they are viewed by other races varies wildly by the individual community. Humanoid Medium Size 30 ft movement speed +1 Skill point per level Has two favored classes Low Light Vision Bonus Feat The other races allowed in Thyressa use the core rules racial features and fluff with the following exceptions: Each elemental Planetouched (Undine, Ifrit, Oriad, Sylph) gets a bonus feat. Aasimar loses spell like ability and gains a bonus feat. Tiefling loses spell like ability and fiendish sorcery and gains a bonus feat. Category:Thyressa